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Patriots' Davis grateful to be fighting for a roster spot

By Stephen Hewitt, Boston Herald

Updated:
08/22/2018 02:37:46 PM EDT

New England Patriots defensive ends Deatrich Wise, left, and Keionta Davis laugh as they head to the practice field in Foxboro on July 27. At the time, Davis was a long shot to make the team's roster, but impressive play this preseason has given his chances a boost. AP FILE PHOTO

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FOXBORO -- Keionta Davis was all smiles as he roamed around the Patriots locker room after practice Tuesday, mingling with teammates and stopping for a quick chat with Deatrich Wise.

There's certainly a lot for him to be happy about.

The second-year defensive lineman, who was a long shot to make the team when training camp began a few weeks ago, is now pushing for a roster spot. He was a standout in the Patriots' 37-20 preseason victory over the Eagles last Thursday, producing 1.5 sacks and three pressures, and he was a factor in the run game.

He's also grateful for the opportunity he's getting.

Davis was undrafted coming out of Tennessee-Chattanooga in 2017, but Bill Belichick saw enough to sign him.

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But before his rookie season began, he was placed on the non-football injury list, ending his year.

Undrafted rookies don't typically stick around, let alone those who miss an entire year. But Davis, a two-time All-American in college, has the talent that made it worth it for the Patriots to keep around and give him a real look. So far, he's rewarding that faith.

"I just work hard, man," Davis said. "I try not to complain about anything. I just try to work hard and go in there and wherever they put me at just try to do my best at it, and fix my weaknesses and try to improve my strengths and all that stuff. For me, it's a hard-working mentality."

Davis is certainly getting every chance to prove himself.

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Against the Eagles, he started at left defensive end and played most of the game as he moved around all over the line. He finished with 54 defensive snaps, a team-high.

Davis said he gained about six or seven pounds during the offseason, which he said came naturally from working out. He's now at 280 pounds, which he said he feels good at, and he's trying to use that extra strength with the speed he already he has to be more effective in different areas on the line.

New England Patriots defensive end Keionta Davis signs autographs for fans during a July 27 practice in Foxboro. AP FILE PHOTO

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"Whether I'm playing inside or outside, that extra strength is always helpful with dealing with double teams and things like that," Davis said. "To be able to have that power and speed, it helps with pass rushing too. It's definitely helpful. ...

"It's something I'm still working on, so I definitely want to improve that," Davis said of his versatility. "It gives you more value to the team, so like I said, I try to come in and try to prove myself. That's one way I try to prove myself is showing I have versatility, I have the smarts to move down the inside and learn and develop in there and also to be dependable outside."

Belichick seems to be impressed with the progress Davis has made after sitting out a year.

"Keionta worked really hard last year even though he wasn't able to practice," Belichick said on a conference call last week. "He was on NFI all season, but he essentially went through two offseason programs - one during the season and then one in the offseason -- because he was restricted to what his participation level could be. ...

"He still has a long way to go. He still has a lot of things he needs to improve on and refine and react quicker to and so forth, but that comes from not having actively played football for a year, or a little more than a year. It has returned and hopefully those things will come back to him and his reactions and all will continue to improve. He's done a good job. He's in good condition. He's worked hard. I like what he's been doing."

There's stiff competition on the defensive line, where Davis is firmly on the bubble right now. But whatever his future holds, Davis is grateful for this chance he's getting.

"It's definitely a blessing," Davis said. "It could have went a different way for me, but luckily it went this way for me. I'm glad, this is a great group of guys. I love being around them. I was around most of these guys last year, so we have some kind of relationship, and they all root for me. We all go out there and compete, push each other, so it makes it a little bit easier when you know you got guys that want to see you do well, so it's a great experience and I'm loving it so far."

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